To Suffolk Park residents: I received an aggressive note in mid-December on my VW campervan, accusing me of camping overnight in the dog-friendly beach car park at Suffolk Park.
I had to ring the ranger up at Byron Council and give my rego number, to say I arrived there from Bangalow at 0530. Please leave your phone number next time so I can ring you up and explain politely I am an earlybird dog-walker.
Now I am advised by the Ranger to leave a note on my campervan.
Margot Hays, Bangalow
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It is great that the rangers are up and about doing their thankless job in the wee hours when most residents are asleep,without them we would have campervans at these locations every night.It must be hard to work out which vans are camping and which ones aren’t .I presume the rangers miss having breakfasts with their families most mornings.Thanks for the great job you do Byron Shire Rangers.
The note at the Suffolk Park Dog Friendly car ark was written by the Suffolk Park Residents Group not the Ranger. That is why a phone number would have been helpful.
Seems that this Dog Friendly Park may not be very people friendly ?
Margot, I assume that you parked your campervan in one of the parking spaces at the beach access. You admit that you arrived at 5;30 am. You don’t have anything to whinge about as there are plenty of signs in these areas saying NO PARKING 1 to 6am. These were put in place to discourage van campers who would party for most of the night and leave their rubbish, including human body waste, on the ground.
The most logical solution is to park on Alcorn St., if you arrive before 6am, so that you are not breaking the law and risk a parking fine.
There is no “Dog Friendly Park’ in Suffolk Park.Dogs are banned in Gaggin Park, adjoining the beach.There is a Dog Exercise Area which begins 100 metres to the north of Gaggin Park and extends north to the start of the National Park. Dogs under the control of responsible owners are very welcome. Unfortunately, I see too many dogs chasing birds( sometimes encouraged by their owners), annoying other people and in a few instances attacking other dogs. The provision of plastic bags at each of the beach entrances has been welcomed by dog owners and the majority are responsible in picking up their dog’s faeces and disposing it in the garbage bins.